NEW DELHI, March 28 -- The ongoing controversy over the credibility and objectivity of India's statistical system is one of the most damaging legacies of this out-going government. But here's the irony. Even as India's economic statistical machinery has been brought to the brink of crisis, in recent years, an effort has been underway to develop a new data-driven governance regime, especially for social sectors. This new regime relies largely on administrative data, which is routinely collected by government departments to track and monitor the progress of schemes and is increasingly beginning to shape dayto-day administration. This will have significant consequences both on the dynamics of scheme implementation at the grassroots as well as public understanding of what governments achieve. Given its import, this new data regime requires as much careful scrutiny and public debate for what it reports (and suppresses) as India's economic statistics have recently generated....